If you rewind time to just 10 years ago, the idea of sophisticated, mass-produced flying transportation would've seemed like a matter of science fiction.
Even in today's world of technological innovations, we're not even that close to getting flying cars into the mainstream, something we all dreamed would have happened by now.
But that doesn't mean innovation is stagnating. Rather, it's just going slower than we expected.
Japan-based drone startup A.L.I. Technologies has brought us one step closer to that dream in the form of a hoverbike.
Developed with financial backing by tech giant Mitsubishi Electric and Japanese soccer player Keisuke Honda (to name a few), the company has rolled out the "XTurismo Limited Edition" – a hoverbike that looks like it came straight out of a science fiction movie.
The bike went on sale on October 26, 2021, and it'll cost you a pretty penny too. US$680,000 to be exact.
At first glance, the XTurismo Limited Edition looks like a creative mashup between a motorbike, a jetski, and a drone with its many propellers.
It looks like quite the chungus, but it's far more athletic than its oversized appearance lets on.
According to the hoverbike's spec sheet on the XTurismo website, the machine can fly at speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour, for a total cruising time of 30-to-40 minutes. The bike is powered by an internal combustion engine, coupled with a set of electrical motors (four of them), and also features electronic autonomous control.
The hoverbike itself weighs about 300 kilograms. Total payload support amounts to 100 kilograms – not bad at all.
Supporting its structure when on the ground is a pair of landing skids, much like the ones you see on many helicopters.
Of course, you won't be able to fly this thing as high as a conventional airplane or helicopter. But that's not the point of its existence in the first place. It's supposed to make getting to remote locations a lot easier.
"Until now the choice has been to move on the ground or at scale in the sky. We hope to offer a new method of movement," said Daisuke Katano, Chief Executive of A.L.I. Technologies.
Aside from (uber-wealthy) civilian use, Katano says his company's hoverbike could also be put to use in other applications that benefit society, like rescue services.
"We would like it to be used first by people who are very interested in new mobility," he told Reuters. "Another aim is to be used in rescue operations in disasters that have great contributions to society, or to be used in areas where it is difficult for people to travel."
Watch it in action below:
To learn more about the XTurismo Limited Edition, click here.
So, which organ will you be selling first?
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Cover image sourced from Reuters / YouTube and Reuters.
